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Monday, July 19, 2010

Inception, a Review

Inception, on a basic level of understanding, is a simple heist movie. You’ve got your suave hero Dom (Leonardo DiCaprio), the best in his field, who assembles a team to perform one last big hoorah, one big enough to put his thieving days to an end and get back home. And like all heist movies, the team is tight and quirky, each adding their own special perk to the group, each relying on the others to perform their jobs and do them right. Yet, Inception is more than just a simple heist movie. It’s a film that’s set predominately in the world of dreams, where things stolen are ideas, and death is only an awakening.

Christopher Nolan’s latest film pulls you in quickly and takes you on a fast-paced ride that demands attention lest you be left in the dust. Extraction, the technology that allows people to enter other people’s dreams and “extract” things, is a fascinating invention. Entering into someone’s mind is never predictable, and the dreamscapes are always mesmerizing. When architect Ariadne (Ellen Page) joins the gang, she’s given a short class on how operation within a dream works, and soon she’s on to designing and creating the worlds within.

The ultimate job, the one that will send Dom home, involves inception, the process of planting an idea in someone’s mind through dreams. It’s “never been done” before, but Dom says he can do it, and so the story begins. (And it’s also all I’ll say, so as to remain spoiler-free.)

I was very impressed with Inception. I thought the acting was excellent all around. Everyone performed perfectly to character. I also loved the imaginative set designs for the dreams. The worlds felt enormous, massive enough to swallow you whole and you not even know it. I would be remiss to leave out the score. The music that accompanied the film was powerful, good enough that it was the first thing I thought of when the credits began to roll. The plot itself I enjoyed, finding it a bit complex, but not unwieldy, spiced with the right amount of emotion and intrigue. And the climax… wow.

There’s no doubt that if you want to see a movie this summer that will have you on the edge of your seat, Inception is certainly it. The flaws of the film are few and easily forgettable. The story is as gripping as the characters, both of which are fun to watch and unravel. I can easily, quite easily, recommend Inception to you. It’s definitely one I’d see on the big-screen in case you’re thinking about waiting.

Yes, Shutter Island was a greatly fun film and Inception is as well. I enjoyed it so much I actually paid to see it again, the second time on IMAX. Fantastic. It has saved the summer movie season for me, which I've found quite disappointing this year.